ESL Newspaper Assignment
TO BEGIN: CHOOSING A TOPIC
- The Pro and Con Site from Chemeketa Community College will help you consider the scope of what it means to take a position on a topic.
- Hot Topics, presented by St. Ambrose University, can help give you ideas on what some controversial current events might be.
- Argumentation/Persuasion: Logic in Argumentative Writing from the Purdue Writing Lab can help you get your thoughts focused on what goes into writing.
FINDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
For your presentation, you need articles from books, newspapers, or magazines. We’re hoping you’ve already been to the library and used our library catalog to find books; if you'd like a refresher, see this library web page.
The idea is not to use all the links we give you, but to think about the type of information you want to find and pick the sources that seem to fit the best. For example, if you want to find international news, it's probably best not to start with the Massachussetts Newspapers database. Remember to think about how the articles you select relate to your topic.
Article sources: choose your level
One of the largest collections of electronic databases available to Bunker Hill Community College students and staff, for free, is the EBSCO collection of databases. Within this collection, there are two databases that will let you choose your articles by lexile, or reading level. This lets you pick which reading level you are comfortable with as well as track your reading level as it progresses.
Go to: http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/databases.htm Pick either Middle Search Plus (lexiles 730 - 1210) or MAS Ultra - School Edition (lexiles 800 - 1300+).
Article sources: electronic databases
There are a number of other electronic databases that are available for free to Bunker Hill Community College students and employees. As long as you have a Bunker Hill library card, you can access these databases from on-campus or off-campus; you just have to remember to choose the right link.
Go to: http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/databases.htm Recommended databases: try starting your search with
- FACTS.com -- a great source for current events, contains information, including statistics, about key events, people, and issues of the last 20 years. See particularly the Issues and Controversies section.
- Lexis-Nexis -- try the News section which has access to regional, national and international newspapers in English, some non-English newspapers, and legal, medical, and business news.
- EBSCO Newspaper Source -- once you're into the general EBSCO database, select Newspaper Source, which has selected full text for more than 200 regional (U.S.) newspapers as well as 23 national (U.S.) and international newspapers.
- Massachusetts Newspapers -- provides access to The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
- Ethnic Newswatch -- gives access to over 200 titles of the ethnic, minority, and native press.
Article sources: the World Wide Web
You can start with local newspapers:
Or try some national and international newspapers:
- NewsLink -- offers links to more than 3,000 U.S. newspapers and 1,000 non-U.S. newspapers online.
- News Directory --provides access to over 8,300 newspapers and magazines in English
- Library of Congress Newspaper Indexes/Archives/Morgues -- includes links to older newspaper articles via U.S. News Archives on the Web, International News Archives on the Web, NewsLibrary, and other searchable newspaper archives.
CITING YOUR SOURCES
Remember to list the author, title, source (name of publication), page, and date for each article you use. Whether you paraphrase, summarize, or quote directly from an information resource you must credit and cite the source. There are a few standard formats that you can follow. Both the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) offer paper styles and formatting which include directions on how to cite both print and electronic information resources. The following website from Duke Libraries will give you examples on how to use almost any citation style for any type of information source:
Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper
Return to the top of this page | FAQ | NOBLE Gateway |
BHCC Library Home Page | BHCC Home Page | Chelsea Campus Links Web Site questions or comments? Send E-mail to bhc@noblenet.orgLast updated March 17, 2004
Last reviewed March 17, 2004